Pull-strings Left Untied
by bluberryblast16
Summary: The toys have made it to the haven of Bonnie's room, and Jessie wants to explore it. But will her curiosity lead to finding more than what she expected? A kind of lengthy, but fluffy, two-shot. Rated K. I do not own Toy Story or Pixar.


The early summer morning opened into a world swathed with sunshine. Trees wore emerald crowns, birds chirped merrily, and a forest of pearly clouds drifted through the atmosphere.

Having just awakened, Bonnie stood tip-toe at her window, gazing out over the stunning neighborhood. The sun made her glittery, purple nightgown shimmer like an amethyst. Humming a tune to herself, she bounced on her toes as her eyes swarmed excitedly over the outdoors.

Mrs. Anderson had promised her daughter that she would take her to the wave pool that day if the meteorological conditions held out. And, thankfully, the day seemed to foretell of lovely weather.

At that moment, her mother peeked into the room with twinkling eyes. "Are you hungry for breakfast, honey?"

The brunette kindergartener smacked her lips as she thought of rainbow-draped Fruit Loops bobbing in a sea of milk. "Yeah!"

She raced out of the door, Mrs. Anderson lightly reprimanding her for running down the stairs.

Not long after Bonnie left, Woody and the other toys were swarming around their owner's bedroom. It was a beautiful day to be alive; even Mr. Potato-head was in a more cheerful mood.

While Woody was distracted with whatever disruptions arose in the room, Jessie plotted how she could explore the house without letting him know. Though Andy had given them away nearly a year ago, she had not gotten many chances to uncover her surroundings. Woody, wanting everyone in places where he could find them if necessary, would not allow Jessie to freely wander the house.

As she sat upon a building block, thinking, she caught a glimpse of Buzz pacing monotonously. He seemed bored, too; maybe he would not mind taking a look-see.

Jessie skipped over towards him, smiling broadly. The space ranger immediately stopped in his tracks, mesmerized by her lovely emerald eyes. "G-Good morning, Jessie."

"Mornin', Buzz!" She sang, clearly elated about something.

A knowing smile rose on his face. "You seem happy today."

She beamed, fingers knitted behind her back. "Well…" she scraped the floor with the toe of her boot, trying to arouse his curiosity. After he prodded her for an explanation, she felt obliged to let him in on her scheme.

"Do you want to take a little walk around the house?

Buzz seemed reluctant to answer, as she knew he hated disregarding Woody's wishes. Still, he thought it would be more difficult to say "no" to the naïve cowgirl before him.

"I-I guess…"

She squealed excitedly, throwing her arms about his neck and practically lifting him into the air. "Oh, it'll be so much fun!"

Before anyone else noticed Buzz's blush or Jessie's heightened ecstasy, the pair darted out of the room into the hallway. Though she had seen it plenty of times whilst being held in Bonnie's chubby hands, she gazed in awe at the lofty, whitewashed ceiling above them. Buzz cracked a grin at her again, adoring the way she was fascinated with nearly everything.

The Andersons had driven away for the pool by this time, and the house was peacefully quiet. They roamed through the living room, kitchen, basement (in which they did not stay too long because of Jessie's phobias), and the back-yard. Stopping every now and then, Jessie made sure she noted good places to hide during hide-and-seek. About forty-five minutes had passed by when they found themselves back where they started, Buzz somewhat tired from the tour.

"We've seen everything, right?" He inquired, stretching his plastic joints. When Jessie did not answer, he frowned and glanced over his shoulder. She had bounded down the hall towards the master bedroom, staring up at the closed door as if it was the Iron Gate that opened into an enchanted castle.

She pressed her hands to her hips, studying the knob as she cocked her head. "I haven't been in there, yet, Buzz."

He trudged hesitantly to her side, blue eyes also focused on the shiny brass. "But it's closed. And that probably means we shouldn't go in there."

Jessie turned to him, appalled at his statement. "Are you a space-chicken, Mr. Light-year?"

He gulped down a lump at her teasing, shaking his head firmly. "No. But there could be a dangerous animal in there, like a cat with claws and…teeth."

Jessie slapped her chaps, guffawing. "Oh, Buzz, don't be silly. I tell you right now, if there was a badger in that room, I could tame him. I've got a way with critters, it seems."

He studied her freckled face, at last surrendering to her nosiness. Dang, was he ever a softie around her!

"Alright, Miss Jessie, we may investigate. But you're the one coming up with the plan to open that door."

She shrugged. "It's nothing. Just stand back."

Buzz watched, bewildered, as she backed up against the wall, pulling her hat low on her head. All the dust on the wooden floor was kicked up as she raced towards the door, leaping into the air with all her might. She barely managed to wrap her arms around the knob.

"Now," she warbled, gazing down at a bedazzled Buzz, "all it takes is a little effort!"

Jessie quickly unlatched the door. The knob clicked, and she collapsed on the floor in a panting heap. Buzz, already rushing to her aid, helped her stand.

"Are you alright?" He asked gently, brushing a stray thread of yarn from her face. She laughed, giving him a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"Never been better." She peeked into the newly-revealed chamber, nothing meeting her eyes but an ordinary bedroom.

Albeit the slight disappointment, they stepped into the room with. Rays of sunlight, filtering through the glass windows over the queen-sized bed, added dreaminess to the scene.

Jessie was trotting towards the closet when she heard a muffled noise beneath the bed, awfully akin to that of a sheep's baa. Abrupt hushes followed, along with a soft scolding.

Even though it was nearly inaudible, Jessie knew that voice. It had been several years since it last rang in her ears, but she recognized it speedily. It had to be_ her._

The cowgirl began to hyperventilate, clutching her chest where her heart would have been hammering. Buzz picked up the noise and anxiously raced back to her, knowing she might be on the verge of a panic attack.

"What's wrong, Jessie?"

She turned towards him and hurriedly regained her composure. "I-I think there's somethin' under the bed."

Buzz raised an eyebrow, tempted to smile. "What?"

The cowgirl gestured for him to come closer, struggling to crawl beneath the frame. He waited patiently for her to re-emerge, listening to shifting boxes and clanging metal all the while.

At last, she poked her head out. "Can you help me down here? I need to pull this box out."

Buzz complied and peeked into the blackness, squinting to see the outline of a cardboard cube. Jessie grunted as she pushed, inching it out little by little. "Pull from the other side."

He grabbed the box's edges as best as he could, and in no time at all, the box had been shifted out from beneath the bed. The two toys took a moment to catch their breath; then Buzz had to satisfy his inquisitiveness. "Why did you want to move this box, Jess?"

The cowgirl pressed a finger to her lips and shimmied up the side, holding her breath as she peeked into its interior. There, in the center of the box, was a beautiful porcelain doll clad in rosy pink and powder blue.

Jessie watched as Bo awakened from her automatically-engaged-freeze-mode. The doll's eyelashes fluttered, and she shielded her eyes from a rather blinding glare of sunlight. Blinking, she noticed a shadowy form leaning over the edge - a silhouette she recognized immediately.

Bo gasped and dropped her crook. "Jessie? Is that you?"

Jessie squealed with utter glee as she dropped into the box, enclosing her arms lovingly about her long lost friend. She jumped up and down in unruly excitement, hugging her so close Bo thought she might either suffocate or crack.

"It's you, it's you, it's you, it's _really _you!" (To any toys who thought Woody was exaggerating when he described his first meeting with Jessie, Bo could assure them he was entirely accurate).

Still, the embrace was so welcome that she clutched the cowgirl back with just as much delight. They eventually broke their clasp and held each-other at arm's length, wanting to ask five hundred questions at once.

Not one inquiry escaped either, though, for Buzz had clambered up and peered down in disbelief. Shortly Bo was hugging Buzz as well.

The three reunited friends spent a while catching up with each-other, retelling stories and experiences in which they had not been together. Bo discussed what had happened to her-how the girl who bought her from the yard-sale at the Davises had given her away two years later, and how she wound up getting bought by Mrs. Anderson for Bonnie.

When they tired of talking, Jessie patted Bo on the shoulder. "You'll fall in love with Bonnie, Bo. She isn't like that other girl-she'll take good care of you, I know." Buzz nodded emphatically.

Still, Bo was reluctant to believe them. It was difficult enough that Molly had ditched her when she had her room redone, in the process separating her from her beloved Woody; but it took Claire only twenty-four months to decide she no longer had a use for her.

Jessie's expression saddened as she studied the shepherdess's crestfallen features. She remembered the pain of Emily's abandonment still, and Andy's giving them away was certainly a bittersweet event.

Her eyebrows shot up as an idea popped into her head. "I bet you want to see Woody, don't you?"

Bo smiled almost bashfully, petting her sheep that raised their heads at his name. "Oh, of course I would. But I can wait; I'm sure he's busy keeping all the new toys in line."

Jessie giggled, shaking her head. "What in tarnation, Bo? You have no idea how much he missed you. I mean, he was so heart-broken when you left." She sighed sadly at the dismal memories of Woody's depression following her loss. How he blamed himself for her absence, how he felt he could not lead without her being there for him. "He still loves you so much, Bo. Not another doll has crossed his path that he looked at twice."

Bo blushed at her friend's reassurance, but felt her chest fill with relief. "You could say the same for me." The cowgirl turned to the space man at her side and frowned. "Well, then, what are we standing around waiting for?"

Buzz and Jessie helped Bo and her flock out of the box, deciding to hide her in the bathroom. While Bo and her sheep waited patiently behind the clothes hamper, the remaining duo made a scramble for Bonnie's bedroom.

"Hey, Woody! Can I borrow you for a sec?"

The red-headed cowgirl stuck her head around the doorway, her thick braid swinging like a pendulum. Woody, focused on his notes for the following staff meeting, rolled his eyes. "Not now, Jess. I'm busy."

Even her brother's irritated response could not take her off of cloud nine this time. With a mischievous smirk, she continued. "That's too bad. Busy-bodies miss out on so much happiness…"

She began to meander back down the hallway, but Buzz remained close to the door. "Jessie, where are you going?"

She giggled, putting up a set of fingers instead of replying. "Five…four…three…two…one…"

Woody suddenly appeared in the entryway with a sheepish smile. "Alright, alright, you've got me hooked. This better be good, sis, or I might have to get someone back later…"

She laughed, so much so she had to clutch her stomach. "Oh, I don't think you'll have any let-downs."

The leather boots clicked on the wooden floor as she skipped down the hall towards the bathroom. Woody began to follow her, but Buzz stuck his arm out. "All part of the plan, sheriff."

Woody's eyebrows skewed in bewilderment, but he managed to hold himself back. He was getting an odd feeling that Jessie would pop out of the register behind him, scream, and slam a banana cream pie into his face. Howbeit impossible, he had learned over the years to never put anything past such a rambunctious sibling.

His attention was once again drawn toward the bathroom when he heard footsteps echoing through the hallway. It was not one pair of feet, but two. As he glimpsed down the sunlit corridor, his eyes rested upon a figure that made his heart leap.

There was…"Bo?"

The shepherdess had her arm linked in Jessie's, rosy cheeks ignited by her ivory smile. At that moment, the tear that had been left in his cotton heart magically sewed itself together. Somehow, she was here with them again; and he suddenly realized that Bonnie becoming his owner was meant to be.


End file.
